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B.C. truckers fear they will see longer lineups return at the Pacific Highway truck border crossing this spring despite measures last year that had reduced average waiting times at the nation’s fourth busiest crossing from 52 minutes to 11.

The worry, echoed by B.C. manufacturers and exporters, was triggered by America’s failure Friday to avoid its latest budgetary crisis — the so-called sequester — which could lead to cuts include ending overtime and laying off air traffic controllers, border guards, customs officers and food and agriculture inspectors.

The staffing cuts have sparked fears of longer waits that could cripple Canadian exports, hamper the economy and cause long waits for goods and people heading into the U.S.

The failure of the U.S. Congress to approve last-minute measures to avert a crisis means the $1.2 trillion US in across-the-board cuts came into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Everyone — from exporters who need to quickly ship their products by truck, to tourists planning to drive or fly for a vacation getaway in the U.S. — would be affected. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said earlier this week her department would have to cut 5,000 border patrol agents.

“We’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst,” said Louise Yako, president of the B.C. Trucking Association, which uses three crossings — Pacific, Aldergrove and Sumas.

“We’ve been working with the Ministry of Transportation here and the U.S. Customs and Border crossing to change the configuration of the truck crossing at Pacific … now we’re potentially talking about going backwards.”

At noon Friday, the wait at Pacific Highway was 20 minutes, and 30 minutes at Sumas.

Yako said local border officials told her organization that three truck lanes will remain open but the effect of the reduced number of border guards remains to be seen.

The move is expected to take effect around April 7 as the employees are required to be given a month’s notice.

About one million trucks pass between B.C. and Washington annually, resulting in an $11 billion trade, based on 2011 figures. With 70 per cent of these trucks registered in B.C., Yako said, the effects on this province will be enormous.

Craig Williams, vice-president of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said his organization has similar concerns as the U.S. is the CMEA’s largest customer. B.C. doesn’t have as big a stake as Canada, he said, with only a little less than half of its $30 billion worth of exports annually going south of the border, but it’s still a concern if members are tied up in traffic at the border.

“We’re very, very worried about it,” Williams said. “ … (if) it starts to hold up productivity lines it’s going to be huge. With the movement of people and goods and services down there, this has the potential to grind things to a halt.”

Napolitano said delays will occur at border crossings and at customs checkpoints in U.S. airports, while at the busiest airports, peak waiting times could rise from two hours to four hours or more. At seaports, delays in examinations of containers will increase to five days.

Ken Oplinger, president and CEO of the Bellingham Whatcom Chamber of Commerce, said he doesn’t expect the situation to be that dire, noting he was told the layoffs would be mostly behind the counter. He acknowledges the elimination of overtime could be problematic during typically heavy traffic times — when more lanes are usually added and officers asked to work overtime — but those times can be avoided by drivers.

The busiest traffic loads heading south are on weekends between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and during the summer months, when drivers now often wait between 45 minutes and two hours to cross. He maintains it’s too early to see what effect the sequester will have but noted “it could certainly add well onto over an hour” on border waits.

The Nexus lanes shouldn’t be affected, he added, because those drivers are pre-screened and additional lanes aren’t opened to accommodate travellers. He added the Bellingham airport would likely only see an extra 10 to 15 minute delay for travellers as a result of the sequester because of the infrequency of flights.

“We’ll see what happens once this all gets into place,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian manufacturers and exporters have been in daily contact with U.S. border agencies, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Birgit Matthiesen, Washington special adviser to the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

She said furloughs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin April 7, along with overtime slashing and a reduction in travel. She maintains the cuts likely won’t affect the primary lines, but secondary inspections.

“The overall priority along the land border will be travellers and cargo streams, so there may be a shift in resources so that lane access is not reduced,” she said. but noted any glitch could have a “snowball effect.”

Matthiesen said she is also concerned that every port will have to come up with its own new measures, noting that it will mean companies won’t know what guidelines are in place from one port to another.

Port Metro Vancouver declined to comment on the new measures Friday, while Tourism Vancouver said it was too early to comment. Jenny Duncan, spokeswoman for the YVR Airport Authority, added: “At this point weren’t not making any changes but we will monitor the situation.”

In an emailed statement, the Government of Canada said its top priority is jobs and growth and facilitating legitimate trade and travel between Canada and the U.S. is “key to our continued economic success.”

“It is our hope that leaders in the United States work together to develop action that will put the U.S. fiscal position on a sustainable path,” said the email from John Babcock, spokesman for Foreign Affairs. “We would be concerned with any impacts that could delay progress to reduce waiting times for people and goods at the border.

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B.C. truckers fear U.S. budget crisis means longer waits at border

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